4 - Performing Music with Technology

This week, our focus centered around research and best practices related to the acquisition of knowledge and skills for music performance. Dr. William Bauer (2012) stated in Music Learning Today, “Formative feedback should give students a clear picture of their progress toward learning goals and ways they might improve.” (p. 86) In any teaching moment, we should ultimately provide experiences to shape the long term growth of the musician, not just our short term ensemble or performance goals. Several technology tools are helpful for providing meaningful artistic and developmental activities for both music creators and music performers. 

Recent gaming titles such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band have proven that a market exists for those who desire to participate in music making in their own space, and with their own content. Tools such as SmartMusic, a well known accompaniment and “red note/green note” software title affords students an almost real time evaluation of performance accuracy. Newer titles such as Music Prodigy and PracticeFirst, part of the MusicFirst LMS, also allow the instructor to setup assessments for students to demonstrate mastery of pitch and rhythm on a given exercise. From a vocal music content perspective, there are far fewer method books or octavos available to ensemble directors, requiring time for the development of exercises. Though time constraints are challenging for directors, the benefit of placing this technology into the hands of the students is a more focused and relevant practice device.

The readings reveal another strong pedagogical strategy, the use of pre-existing video content (YouTube, Vimeo) and the development of instructional video content.  Numerous videos exist for standard repertoire, music theory instruction, and guides to instrumental technique. Frequently, students become more aware about their own performance deficiencies by evaluating others. Video critiques afford students an opportunity to evaluate artistic performances while focused on observing, rather than while performing. If the instructor provides the same evaluative instruments that are used by adjudicators, then exposing them to model performances and those do not demonstrate the highest level of performance can help to refine perceptions about technique and artistry. Once they have proven capable of evaluating performances of others in a positive manner, I have students critique videos of their ensemble and their own singing, using video recording on iPads.

Using tools such as Audacity also affords those who are not enrolled in a traditional musical ensemble a platform for recording and editing music. Music sampling is a staple of certain genres of music, and the digital tools available to the novice audiophile are incredibly powerful, rivaling tools available once only to recording studios. A wealth of shared video content exists for young artists to utilize as they develop their craft, such as the tools available on Lynda.com.